London 2012 gets set for School Leavers

The pilot School Leaver programme, called Starting Blocks, will see the new recruits take part in an action packed two-week induction programme before beginning two three-month placements in different departments within the Organising Committee.

Placements are available in the Commercial, Communications, Human Resources, Culture, Operations, Sport, Venues & Infrastructure and Legal teams - giving the school leavers an excellent understanding of how an Organising Committee works. They will then be placed in a permanent position within the organisation.

The new recruits are all aged 17 or 18 and have recently left school or college post A-Level or equivalent (e.g. BTEC). Six youngsters are from the host boroughs of Greenwich, Newham and Waltham Forest and the others are from Lewisham, Essex, Esher and Ipswich.

As well as receiving a competitive salary, pension contribution and 25 days holiday, the school leavers will have opportunities to achieve further qualifications and training. The further studies programme in Business Administration is funded by the Learning and Skills Council’s (LSC) Apprenticeships scheme. The positions will be based at the headquarters of the London 2012 Organising Committee in Canary Wharf, London.

HR Director at the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, Jean Tomlin said, “Working for the Organising Committee is a unique opportunity for these school and college leavers – and one that will provide them with an unrivalled experience. We look forward to working with them.”

Harvey Redgrave, the LSC’s Director of Economic Development for the London 2012 Games said, “The LSC is pleased to support the London 2012 Organising Committee with their programme to train young people in Business Administration as we are committed to maximising the skills benefits from the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.”

- Ends -

Notes to Editor:

Today there are over 200 Apprenticeships across 80 sectors including in business administration, transport, retail and customer care. These provide young people with Level 2 (equivalent to 5 good GCSEs) and Level 3 (equivalent to 2 A levels) qualifications.

The benefits to employers are that they can train young people in job related skills relative to their industry and for young people that they can earn an income while gaining qualifications. In 2005/06, the LSC helped almost 100,000 people in England achieve an Apprenticeship, beating the Government’s target of 75,000. The LSC in London has allocated £50 million for Apprenticeships for the 07/08 funding period with 14,324 young people expected to qualify.

The Learning and Skills Council exists to make England better skilled and more competitive. They are responsible for ensuring the availability of high-quality education and training for everyone. They have a single goal: to improve the skills of England’s young people and adults to world class standards. Its vision is that young people and adults in England have knowledge and skills matching the best in the world and are part of a truly competitive workforce. They work nationally, regionally and locally to deliver this ambition on behalf of learners and employers.


For further information and photos please contact the London 2012 Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 100 or visit the website at www.london2012.com.

Find out the latest from London 2012 HQ on our Work in Progress blog http://blog.london2012.com.